#CreaCon12

#CreaCon12 Tweets, now in Magazine Format

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:03:38 +0000

#CreaCon12 Tweets, now in Magazine Format:

An Issuu magazine compiling nearly 400 tweets from over 40 people…

#CreaCon12 a roaring success!

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:54:47 +0000

#CreaCon12 a roaring success!:

The University of Portsmouth’s first report on the success of the Creativity Conference is online here…

Kristin Birkeland’s stimulating presentation…

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:36:00 +0000

Kristin Birkeland’s stimulating presentation…

The Q&A Session at the end of #CreaCon12…

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:49:00 +0000

The Q&A Session at the end of #CreaCon12…

Professor Guy Claxton’s thought-provoking talk at...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Professor Guy Claxton’s thought-provoking talk at #CreaCon12…

Sir John Jones’ inspiring presentation at #CreaCon12

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:42:00 +0000

Sir John Jones’ inspiring presentation at #CreaCon12

Some of the photographs from the afternoon sessions of the...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:36:08 +0000

Some of the photographs from the afternoon sessions of the Creativity Conference…

Conroy Williams, of the Hampshire School for Social...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:26:07 +0000

Conroy Williams, of the Hampshire School for Social Entrepreneurs, tells us why he feels Creativity should be a part of Social Enterprise…

Cheryl Buggy, Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, explains how important...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Cheryl Buggy, Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, explains how important Creativity should be…

Q&A

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:54:00 +0000

How do you deal with disengaged adults?

Guy Claxton: Adults are more set in their ways, so they need stronger whipping. They have a fear of looking childish and experimenting that has to be dispelled. You have to find and irritate their dissatisfaction.
Sir John Jones: People are a bunch of habits. Adult's habits are just more ingrained.

Q&A

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:51:10 +0000

How do you nurture your creativity?

Richard Sant: Make sure the rules don't quite apply to you.
Kristin Birkeland: Dancing every morning and meditating.
Sir John Jones: Audio books. Now I can go to the gym to watch TV, read a book and run all at once.
Guy Claxton: Rigorous protection of my own laziness. Being thankful that there are people who like administration so I don't have to. And constantly tinkering.

Kristin Birkeland is a Kaospilot. The purpose of the Kaospilots...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:56:31 +0000

Kristin Birkeland is a Kaospilot. The purpose of the Kaospilots is “to create positive change through personal growth.” She however describes herself as a disturbing element in the organisation, as creativity should be allowed to grow without being disturbed. She sees creativity as a muscle, which must be “taken care of and exercised” like any other.

She captivated the audience with a story, which told of an old woman who was whole and complete in every way but was still longing, and that the key is to ask yourself, “what are you longing for?” The starting point, according to Kristin, is to start saying yes to ideas, and then you can create anything. The way to start ideas flowing is to say “yes and…” to an opportunity. In the creative process Kristin believes that there is no straight line, it is a journey and that “creativity and innovation depend on diversity.”

Kristin recognises that the creative process itself is a struggle but puts a positive twist on this quoting the Norwegian word “OJDA”. This word is one that means mistake and surprise that she uses when something unexpected happens that takes her work in a new direction. In the same way she spoke of the judgment, cynicism, and fear of creating something. She said the best way to deal with these feelings was to recognise that they existed, but not to become that feeling.

The Creative Partnership programme has brought music to life in...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:39:00 +0000

The Creative Partnership programme has brought music to life in a highly innovative way for pupils at Great Oaks Special School in Southampton. They have been working alongside practitioner, Ricky Tart, to create an “iPad Orchestra”, which performed for the first time at CreaCon12 today.

Led by music teacher Kelly Jo Peters the group showcased a medley of songs from Michael Jackson’s Thriller, to Adele’s “Rolling in the deep”, using applications on the iPad as instruments.

Photographs from the morning sessions of Creativity Conference...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:56:00 +0000

Photographs from the morning sessions of Creativity Conference 2012.

Graham Carter, Highbury College, tells us why he feels that...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:20:14 +0000

Graham Carter, Highbury College, tells us why he feels that Creativity is an important part of Education.

Professor Guy Claxton, who has written many books on...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Professor Guy Claxton, who has written many books on intelligence, spoke about how creative satisfaction is the best alternative to destructive satisfaction. He sought to try and explain, and discover, what it is that young people want. In a world filled with temptation he spoke of how certain basic desires exist, but that it is for the educators to provide suitable outlets for these to replace toxic alternatives.

The answer, he believes is in giving young people confidence, capacity and direction, and that “creativity makes you happy.” Specifically it is the act of being engaged with something creatively that allows “passion to evolve”, and that quick fixes of “frenzied creativity” do not work. In this way it is possible for young people to develop a creative frame of mind and find the “joy of the struggle”.

By finding a way of teaching certain traits, Guy Claxton thinks that a solution can be found for education. Encouraging young people to be “curious, determined, imaginative, crafty, connected and discerning” is the basis of a healthy creative mind. He says that it is not to do with whether an individual is left or right minded, but if they can “toggle their brain”. Giving young people the ability to use their mind creatively allows them not to just accept what they are told, but to challenge it.

“The future is not what it was. Change is mandatory but...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:12:00 +0000

“The future is not what it was. Change is mandatory but growth is optional.”

Sir John Jones opened CreaCon12 by speaking with passion about the need for forward thinking and a change in approach to education. Starting with an image of a classroom in 1846 he explained how little has changed in the basic structure since that point. The methods remain the same, with children copying from books and being talked at and tested into submission.

The answer, according to Sir John is in creativity. He says that being creative is about being comfortable with the future, and being a “threshold adventurer” rather than a “play-it-safer”.

He quoted a student who asked, “Why do I need a teacher when I’ve got Google?” The answer to this, he said, was that Google could teach you a subject, whereas a teacher can give you the love of a subject.

He spoke of how there has to be a shift in thinking, and that it is in the hands of the educators to shift from single loop to double loop learning, and that creativity has to be the basis of this change.

His love of teaching was evident throughout, as he finished by saying “If there is a better calling in the world, I don’t know it.”

Caught Strong Island’s Paul Gonella looking a bit...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:33:28 +0000

Caught Strong Island’s Paul Gonella looking a bit sneaky…

Today’s Everyday Object is a bit like a reformed log. If...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:16:53 +0000

Today’s Everyday Object is a bit like a reformed log.

If you’re at #CreaCon12 today, you can meet Jason Taylor himself, and see him creating a piece of art throughout the conference!

Bucket handles - you know, handles for buckets?! It’s not...

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:38:16 +0000

Bucket handles - you know, handles for buckets?!

It’s not quite the same, is it?

The Conference is tomorrow!